GMS RACING NCWTS CANADA RECAP

Canadian Tire Motorsport Park Recap
Johnny Sauter and the Allegiant Chevrolet team qualified in the 10th position for Sunday’s Chevrolet Silverado 250 at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park (CTMP). Sauter dropped back early in the event due to no traction through the turns, finishing the first stage in the 12th position. He reported to crew chief Joe Shear, Jr., that the Allegiant Silverado started off loose but became tighter toward the end of the first 20-lap run. He came to pit road under caution for four Goodyear tires, fuel and a slight air pressure adjustment. Several trucks stayed on track with the No. 21 lining up in the 17th position for the restart.

Sauter gained six positions before the yellow flag was displayed on lap 26. By lap 33 he had made his way into the third position, running his fastest laps of the 64-lap event. On lap 36, Sauter visited pit road for the final time, for four tires and fuel. The No. 21 team finished the second stage in the 16th position, but lined up sixth for the start of the final stage once the leaders pitted.

Back-to-back cautions at the start of the final stage allowed Sauter to move into the top five, but Sauter ultimately fell back to the sixth position in the last two laps of the race, earning his fifth top-10 finish in his sixth start at CTMP.

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“I’ve never thought of myself as a road racer but somehow we always end up in the top-10 at the end. It felt good to be up front today and have a shot at leading. Joe (Shear, Jr., crew chief) and the team did a great job adjusting after the first stage and we had a fast Allegiant Chevrolet.”

Additional Info
– Sauter is second in the driver championship points, 30 points behind the leader, with one win and 10 playoff points.

JUSTIN HALEY
No. 24 Fraternal Order of Eagles Chevrolet Silverado

Canadian Tire Motorsport Park Recap
Justin Haley, making his second start at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park (CTMP), turned the fastest lap in the first round of multi-vehicle qualifying on Saturday afternoon and looked to sit on the pole before a last minute battle for the top spot. He earned his best qualifying result of the season to start second for the Chevrolet Silverado 250.

The 18-year-old rookie fell back to the fifth position on the initial start, reporting to crew chief Kevin Bellicourt that the No. 24 was free. As the field approached the end of stage one on lap 20, the Fraternal Order of Eagles Chevrolet began to shift toward a tight-handling condition, but he maintained his position to finish the stage in fifth. Under caution, he visited pit road for four tires and fuel, but a slow stop caused him to lose track position and restart 19th for the start of the second stage.

Haley gained three positions on the restart only to be slowed by the second caution of the day on lap 26. He came to pit road under green on lap 36 for fuel only and returned to the track to complete the second stage in the 14th position. As the leaders came to pit road during the break, Haley stayed on track to line up fifth for the final stage.

The Winamac, Ind., native took advantage of two cautions early in the final stage to sit second behind teammate Kaz Grala with nine laps remaining in the race. As the laps wound down, Haley fell back to fourth to earn his second top-five finish of the 2017 season and first top-10 at CTMP.

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“Our Fraternal Order of Eagles Chevrolet was really fast. I had a lot of fun out there today, but we needed to execute better on pit road to be there at the end. We’ll go for another shot at a win and a spot in The Playoffs at Chicagoland (Speedway) in a few weeks.”

Additional Info
– Haley remains 11th in the driver championship points standings and eighth in the owner point standings.

KAZ GRALA
No. 33 STEALTH Chevrolet Silverado

Canadian Tire Motorsport Park Recap
Arriving in Canada for the only road course race of the NCWTS season, Kaz put his road course racing background to good use, finishing first practice eighth-fastest and final practice third before ultimately qualifying third for Sunday’s Chevrolet Silverado 250.

At the start of the 64-lap race, Kaz immediately moved into the second position and ran within striking distance of the leader throughout the entire first stage of the race, collecting stage points on lap 20. Despite fighting a STEALTH Chevrolet Silverado that was a tick loose through the left-handers and a tick tight through the right-handers, crew chief Jerry Baxter stuck to his planned pit strategy leaving Kaz on track under the stage break, lining him up second for the restart. Sliding to fifth on the restart, Kaz made it back to fourth before coming to pit road for his scheduled stop, under green, on lap 31. Coming to the attention of his No. 33 team for four tires, fuel and a slight air pressure adjustment, Kaz returned to the track to make up ground before the end of stage two. At the stage break, Kaz was scored 11th, but would not pit again. With pit strategy continuing to play out throughout the field, Kaz restarted fourth for the start on the final stage.

Snagging the lead coming out of Turn 1 on the restart, Kaz maintained the top spot for 19 laps, surviving two restarts in the process. Taking the white flag with the No. 19 closing from behind with fresher tires, Kaz continued to run his line and hit his marks to maintain the lead. Heading into Turn 5, the No. 19 ran into the rear end of the No. 33 STEALTH Chevrolet, spinning him around. Kaz was able to continue in his Silverado and cross the finish line with a third-place finish.

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“I’m super proud of my No. 33 STEALTH guys today. Execution is what we need for the playoffs and we did that better than anyone today. There was just no need for what happened to have happened. I had a lot of respect for Austin (Cindric). I think he is a great road racer, but I lost some of that respect today. There’s a time and a place to move someone. You have to pick the right spot to make a move if you’re going to race someone clean. That wasn’t done today though. If it had been me in that position, I would have moved him but I would not have taken him out like that.”

“From my point of view, we were going for stage wins and race wins for the playoff points like anyone else because it doesn’t mean much to be in the playoffs if you’re the first one out. You really have to come to compete there. Those 5 points would have been extremely valuable for our season going forward.”

Additional Info
– After the 15th race of the season, Kaz is currently 12th in the NCWTS point standings, but has one win and five bonus points towards the playoffs.